Wilson, Hutto to testify at Affordable Care Act hearing

Sep. 18, 2013

Written by

Mary Orndorff Troyan

Staff writer

WASHINGTON — New online marketplaces where people can start shopping for health insurance next month aren’t as secure as they should be and will be subject to fraud and abuse, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson plans to tell Congress this morning.

Wilson, who was among those who tried unsuccessfully to have the Affordable Care Act declared unconstitutional, said his testimony wasn’t about the merits of the law, but about consumer privacy.

“Ironically, the implementation of a federal program, designed to provide health care to all Americans, puts us all at severe risk because it is riddled with scams and security breaches,” Wilson said in a statement prepared for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Wilson’s appearance became part of a dispute between Republicans and Democrats over whether Republican state officials are trying to obstruct the law’s implementation for political reasons.

The original witness list was made up entirely of Republicans from states with Republican governors opposed to the federal health insurance law, and Democrats threatened to boycott the hearing unless proponents were added.

So Democrats were allowed to add South Carolina state Sen. Bradley Hutto, who was critical of Wilson and GOP opposition to the law.

“It is appalling that some South Carolina officials continue to pursue efforts to block our citizens from receiving health care coverage,” Hutto said in his prepared statement to the committee.

Members of the committee are giving opening statements now, and witnesses are expected to start testifying soon.